I'll always be an Over the Bridger

The Island of Cobh,  Co. Cork Ireland where I live is joined to the main land by a bridge known as Belvelly bridge. If you weren't fortunate enough to have been born on the island and moved in from the other side you will always be known as an Over the Bridger.
I came from the Northside of Cork City over 30 years ago to marry a Cobh man so I am a Norrie and an Over the Bridger.
My mother in law Peg Kidney, from the Gaeltacht in Ring Co Waterford married a Cobh man and lived all her married life on the island and died in her 70's, an over the bridger.
These island folk should be counting their lucky stars that we ventured over the bridge to marry them.     They would be very strange folk only for us.

The ruin of Belvelly Castle stands  at the entrance to Cobh. This historic 15th Century Castle, once inhabited by Sir Walter Raleigh is on the market for €275,000.

This series of photographs are of Belvelly Castle and  Bridge.

Camera Settings, Camera - Olympus, Exp 1/320sec, f5.6, ISO 80

Camera Settings, Camera- Canon 70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@17mm, exp 1/125sec, f7.1, ISO 100

Camera Settings, Camera- Canon  70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@14mm, exp 1/60sec, f7.1, ISO 100

Camera Settings, Camera- Canon 70D, LensTamron 10-24mm@14mm, exp 1/80sec, f9, ISO 100

Camera Settings, Camera- Camera 70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@13mm, exp 1/800sec, f11, ISO 100

 Camera Settings, Camera Canon 70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@10mm, exp 1/25sec, f14, ISO 100

Camera Settings, Camera- Canon 70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@10mm, exp 1/25sec, f14, ISO 100

Bonnie, the gift that keeps on giving

My pets have always been a very important part of my life so it's only fitting that I introduce you to Bonnie. She really is the gift that keeps on giving.
She arrived just before Christmas, unexpectedly in that I wasn't expecting her. My beautiful Gypsy had died of cancer in October and i didn't expect to replace her so soon. My daughter's felt it was time to move on. They scoured the countryside online and found this beautiful Collie pup in Galway. They have this ridiculous video of me when they arrived home with her, I'm a snivelling mess. I just loved her the minute I set eyes on her. I hope to God it never ends up on youtube. If it does I'll bequeath my parrot to whoever is responsible.

Chicco is the Parrot. I'm the only one in the house who's fond of her. My father in law God rest him, bought Chicco when he came to live with us and presented me with her. They can live to be 35. We have her 15 years. Her screech would deafen you, not what you want to be listening to if you are suffering a hangover. The girls keep giving her chocolate and crisps in the hope that she'll kick the bucket before me.

We always had animals at home when we were growing up. My mother was an animal lover and every stray dog or cat that wandered to our door was welcomed in. She used to say, It was animals that kept the child Jesus warm in Bethlehem. Therefore they were as important as humans to her, and more important than some.
I remember one of our dogs was having pups one time and decided that the couch was as good a place as any to have them. Mam turned the couch in towards the wall to give the dog privacy. Another time a cat had her kittens in the wardrobe on top of our clothes. It definitely was an alternative upbringing. We learned a lot about the facts of life from these occasions. Before we witnessed these births she used to tell us that the cat took out her kittens during the night but put them back in again before we could see them. It was an interesting theory.

Meet Bonnie, she's adorable. You couldn't be down in the dumps when she's around and she's always so happy to see you. She actually smiles.

 Camera settings, camera -Canon 70D, lens Canon 70-300mm@300mm, exp 1/400sec, f5.6, ISO 200

 Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, Lens 10-135mm@44mm, exp 1/80sec, f6.3, ISO 100

 Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, Lens Canon 70-300@180mm, exp 1/800sec, f5, ISO 200

 Camera settings, Camera- Canon 70D, Lens Canon18-135mm@29mm, exp 1/250sec, f 9, ISO 100

 Camera settings, Camera- Canon 70D, Lens 70-300mm@70mm, exp 1/250sec, f9, ISO 400

 Camera settings, Camera 70D, Lens 18-135mm@18mm, exp 1/200sec, f11, ISO 100

 Camera settings, Camera Canon 70D, Lens70-300@300mm, exp1/80sec(too slow), f9, ISO 100

 Camera settings, Camera- Canon 70D, lens Canon 70-300mm@300mm, exp 1/320sec, f8, ISO 1250

Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, lens Canon 18-135mm@18mm, exp 1/320sec, f22, ISO 100.

My home by the sea.

I ventured out in Conchita with himself yesterday. If you read my post 'and he calls her Conchita' then you will know that I'm not a happy camper when it comes to sailing. However himself was stuck for a crew and he informed me the night before that I was it.
The day was beautiful and i was praying that there wouldn't be any wind, I didn't tell him that though.
His prayers were answered not mine, there was a beautiful easterly breeze, apparently. We would have to tack out the harbour and the wind would be behind us all the way home which was perfect, apparently.
I had to give myself a little pep talk before we headed off. I told myself that it didn't matter that i didn't know much about sailing. Himself has been sailing in Cork Harbour since he was a child.

This is where I start fretting. He has to climb up onto the deck to hoist the main sail and the gib leaving me to man the tiller and point the boat where he tells me to. That's no problem, I can follow these instructions. The problem is my over active imagination. I imagine him falling overboard, tripping on a rope or just losing his footing and I am left alone on Conchita. It never bothers me that he could be drowning but the thought of being alone on the boat scares the crap out of me.

My father in law John Kidney R.I.P shared this love of the sea and he gave me this poem by Rudyard Kipling  to  help me to understand that a woman is powerless when the sea is calling her man.

Harp Song of the Dane Women

What is a woman that you forsake her,
And the hearth-fire and the home-acre,
To go with the old grey Widow-maker?

She has no house to lay a guest in---
But one chill bed for all to rest in,
That the pale suns and the stray bergs nest in.

She has no strong white arms to fold you,
But the ten-times-fingering weed to hold you---
Out on the rocks where the tide has rolled you.

Yet, when the signs of summer thicken,
And the ice breaks, and the birch-buds quicken,
Yearly you turn from our side, and sicken---

Sicken again for the shouts and the slaughters.
You steal away to the lapping waters,
And look at your ship in her winter-quarters.

You forget our mirth, and talk at the tables,
The kine in the shed and the horse in the stables---
To pitch her sides and go over her cables.

Then you drive out where the storm-clouds swallow,
And the sound of your oar-blades, falling hollow,
Is all we have left through the months to follow.

Ah, what is Woman that you forsake her,
And the hearth-fire and the home-acre,
To go with the old grey Widow-maker ?

The upside is that I got over myself and we had a lovely morning, himself didn't fall in thank God and i got some lovely photos.

 Camera settings, camera-Canon 70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@10mm, exp 1/250sec, f20, ISO100

Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, Lens Tamron 10-24mm@10mm. exp 1/125, f22, ISO 100

Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, Lens  Canon 70-300mm@70mm, exp 1/400sec, f9, ISO 125

Camera settings, Camera- Canon 70D, Lens 70-300mm@75mm, exp, 1/400 sec, f29, ISO 160

Camera settings, Camera Canon 70D, Lens  Canon70 -300mm@75mm, exp 1/400sec, f9, ISO 100

Camera settings, Camera-Canon 70D, Lens Canon 70-300mm@300mm, exp 1/400sec, f9, ISO 200

Camera settings, Camera- Canon 70D, lens Canon 70-300mm@70mm, exp 1/400 sec, f18, ISO 400

The hand of Fate

I was going to call this image 'Love hurts' but because it was part of a body of work I was doing for college I needed a more meaningful title so i called it 'The hand of fate'. This is another photo from my collection "The veil that hides the future from us is woven by the Angel of Mercy".
The idea behind it is, The veil hides the knowledge of what the future holds. In this image one hand is holding the heart while the other hand is digging it's fingers into it. It's a love/ hate sort of image.
When we love someone we give them the power to cherish our heart or to tear it apart.

Don't worry no human was injured in the making of this photograph. At least I don't think so. I bought it in the market in Cork and was told it was a sheep's heart.

Himself got the unsavoury job of holding the heart. I wanted him to really dig his fingers hard into the heart and he wasn't very good at that, a good sign i suppose. However I think the finished image does portray what i was looking for.

Camera settings, Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Canon 50mm prime lens, exp 1/8000sec, f1.8, ISO 100

Island in the sun

"I see woman on bended knee
cutting cane for the family,
I see man at the waterside
casting nets at the surging tide."

I had the words of this song, sung by Harry Belafonte quoted to me today by 1 of Cobh's best known fishermen.
I had asked Mick Taft if I could photograph him ages ago, about a year ago i'd say. I was in the middle of a course i was doing and Portraiture was a module i needed to cover. I kept missing Mick. Anytime i was out and about with my camera he wasn't around and when i did meet him I didn't have my camera with me. I got lots of portraits of the characters in the  town but i really wanted Mick Taft. He's an over the bridger like myself, originally from Donegal like my mother. (anybody born and reared  outside Cobh will always be known as an over the bridger).

Today was beautiful, the sun was shining and it was so warm. I had a few things to do down town so I headed off and because it was so bright and sunny I brought my camera. As I was walking along the town, by the sea front, I spotted Mick's trawler at the slip by the Camber.  He was  at the waterside washing out his fish boxes. There was no escape route for him. I won't say he was a willing participant but he is a gentleman and he didn't refuse when i asked him if I could take a few pictures. That's when he quoted the Harry Belafonte song to me. I was organising  my camera on bended knee and he was at the water's edge washing fish boxes, not casting nets.

I sat on the slip adjusting  my camera and chatting with him and spent a lovely 20 minutes or so in his company. We chatted about boats, the internet, Donegal, The song "Island in the sun", our families, fishing in the harbour and more besides. The tide was coming in and i felt like a mermaid sitting there with the water almost at my feet.  Mick doesn't bother with the internet though he is aware of the benefits. I was writing the name of the song and the singer of "Island in the sun" into my iPhone so that i could remember it later and i felt like such an egit that i wouldn't be able to remember it otherwise.

Talking to Mick while randomly talking photographs made me realise how much i love this type of photography. There is absolutely no money to be made in it but you couldn't put a price on an experience  like this. People like Mick are the salt of the earth, and being in his company this morning was an honour and a privilege.

 Camera settings, Camera used-Canon 70D, Lens used -Canon 50mm prime lens, exp 1/800 sec, f3.2, ISO 100

 Camera settings, Camera used canon 70D, Lens used Tamron 10-24mm@11mm, exp 1/320sec, f7.1, ISO 100

 Camera settings, Camera used Canon 70D, Lens used Canon 50mm prime lens, exp 1/250sec, f13, ISO 100

 Camera settings,Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@18mm, exp 1/320sec, f7.1, ISO 100

 Camera settings, Camera used Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@11mm, exp 1/320, f7.1, ISO 100

 Camera settings, Camera used, Canon 70D, lens used Tamron 10-24mm@10mm, exp 1/320sec, f7.1, ISO 100

 This image and the one below were enhanced using HDR toning in photoshop.